The Hillsboro Hops used a double steal early, then fended off a ninth-inning rally by the Boise Hawks for an exciting 5-4 win Friday afternoon in a Northwest League game.

The win, played in front of 3,334 at Ron Tonkin Field, gave the Hops two wins in the three-game series with the Hawks.

Boise (32-28 overall, 10-12 second half) increased their lead to 2-0 after two innings on Justin Marra's eighth home run of the year, only to see Hillsboro come back and pull off a double steal to tie the game in the bottom of the second. Nate Robertson took second base and Taylor Ratliff stole home.

The Hops went ahead in the third 3-2 when Kevin Cron scored on a ground-rule double by catcher Elvin Soto.

Hillsboro (35-25 overall, 13-9 second half) looked certain to put the game away in their half of the eighth inning as Galli Cribbs and Pedro Ruiz hit back-to-back RBI singles to put the Hops up 5-2.

The Hawks came up with one final rally in the top of the ninth when Boise nicked relief pitcher Mason McCullough for three walks to load the bases. Hawks third baseman Jesse Hodges doubled in two runs to close the gap to 5-4. Dustin Loggins came on to pitch for Hillsboro, earning his second save of the year when Boise shortstop Bryant Flete grounded out to end the game.